


There's No Justice League Like the Just Us League

by n_a_feathers



Category: Booster Gold (Comics), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Gen, playing fast and loose with LoT canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-05-15
Packaged: 2018-06-08 14:53:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6859522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n_a_feathers/pseuds/n_a_feathers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Waverider gets some unexpected visitors.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's No Justice League Like the Just Us League

**Author's Note:**

> I really wish Booster and Beetle weren't being saved for the movies and so I wrote this.

Rip Hunter lounged in the captain’s chair, piloting the Waverider through the temporal zone as his mismatched crew wiled away the time behind him, waiting for their arrival at their final destination. Vandal Savage’s reign of terror had been toppled and the Time Council along with it. That left Rip as one of the last operating Time Masters.

 

He could already imagine the wormholes and time anomalies that such a vacuum would create and all the work that lay ahead of him. One of the benefits of having spent much of his life untethered to a certain time though was that he’d already been provided with a solution; said solution’s future self having crossed his path several times in his past, had raised him to take this next step even.

 

The sickly green luminescence of the time stream sped by as Rip contemplated his next move. Placing his current crew back in their own time was his number one priority of course. They were all more than ready to return to their own timeline, a heavy fatigue having seemed to grip them all after the adrenaline of winning had worn off.

 

Then there was the matter of a trip to 2025 to recruit his new helper.

 

Just as Rip was about to enquire of Gideon if she could pinpoint the exact date they would need to aim for, the Waverider was rocked violently to the side, throwing anyone not seated to the ground and sending Sara and Len’s card game flying. Rip, fairly unaffected from his seat in the captain’s chair, braced himself for another barrage and had Gideon fire up the Waverider’s weapons systems.

 

It soon became apparent though that no second attack was coming.

 

“Rip! What’s going on?” Len demanded angrily as he picked himself up from the floor.

 

Rip dismounted his chair and headed to the centre console, most of the team mirroring his action. The lack of a second attack had put him somewhat at ease, but he was still curious as to the cause of this disturbance. There wasn’t much in the time stream to run into. “It seems, Mr Snart, that we have been the victim of a collision. Nothing to worry about, I’m sure. Gideon, what is our status?”

 

A projection of the ship appeared in the air, showing a round dent near the entrance to the cargo bay. “The Waverider is largely unharmed. The only damage received is superficial.”

 

“Very good. Any idea of what has hit us?”

 

“It appears to be a Time Sphere, piloted by one Michael Jon Carter.” This too was projected beside the Waverider. It was exactly what it sounded like: a round sphere made out of a Perspex-like material, entirely see through. Two seats and a console took up the majority of its interior.

 

Rip ran his hands over his face and released a drawn out groan.

 

“Michael Jon Carter?” Sara questioned, eyebrow raised. “You know him?”

 

“Yes. Unfortunately, I might add.”

 

“Someone Rip doesn’t like… I’m sure we’ll be best friends,” Len groused from where he was propping himself up against the back of one of the passenger seats in his continual quest to never use any piece of furniture in its intended manner.

 

“Yes, very amusing. Michael, or Booster as he is more commonly known, is a buffoon but I suppose we must help him. Ms Lance and Mr Snart, would you mind collecting him and bringing him back to the bridge?”

 

“It would be our pleasure,” Len answered with a mock bow and then the two of them were gone.

 

“So,” Ray began, “who is this Michael? Another Time Master?”

 

“No, thank the lord. He’s something of a criminal and a thief, though nowhere near the league of our own crewmembers. He plays the hero, but has never done a purely unselfish act in his life.”

 

“The more I hear about him, the more I like him,” Mick added his two cents from his reclining sprawl in one of the passenger seats – almost as bad as Snart - a bottle of pilfered alcohol swinging loosely from his fingers. “Does he have any powers? Maybe he’d like to be a Rogue.”

 

“No, his only abilities come from the equipment he’s stolen. Though really, I suppose that makes him not so different from Mr Snart and yourself.  He has flight from a Legion ring, protection from Brianiac 5’s force field belt, strength from a power suit. Even his Time Sphere was come by dishonestly. Ladies and gentlemen, do not let him con you.”

 

The crew remaining on the bridge murmured their assent except Mick who gave him a wordless one fingered salute.

 

***

 

Len and Sara were making their way quickly towards the entrance hatch, steps synchronised. Weeks of living and working together on the Waverider had taught them how the other functioned and now they were like a well-oiled machine. Add Mick to the mix and they were a deadly combination.

 

Sara hoped they’d all keep in touch when they got back to their time. She didn’t think she’d be joining the Rogues anytime soon, but she’d enjoyed the comradery and wouldn’t mind organising a monthly card night at least. If the night happened to end with drunken bar room brawls, she wasn’t going to complain.

 

The nature of their position on the team did make her question why they’d been chosen to be the welcoming party to someone Rip apparently knew though. “Do you think Rip sent us because this Michael guy’s actually dangerous?”

 

Len considered for only a moment before replying, “That is a distinct probability. Rip does have a habit of throwing us under the bus.”

 

“You have your gun though, right?”

 

“Always,” answered Len with a tilt of his head and a lopsided smirk.

 

“Good.”

 

Len didn’t need to ask if she had a weapon on her. She always did, and her body was enough of one on its own.

 

When they reached the hatch, they took up positions and Sara gave the command for Gideon to open the door.

 

She didn’t know what she’d been expecting, but it certainly hadn’t been two men in skin tight costumes tussling on the floor. The slightly taller of the two, blond and decked out in blue and gold with a star on his chest, seemed to have the upper hand while his companion in blue just looked completely fed up with everything from his current position pinned to the floor.

 

Len cleared his throat loudly.

 

Both men froze and turned towards him, startled. But once they’d seen him and Sara, they were immediately pushing against each other in a rush to get to their feet and then the gold one was making his way over to him, grinning all the while. “Cold!”

 

Then there were handshakes and pats on backs and a very confused Len.

 

“And who’s this lovely lady?” the man in blue asked, making to take her hand and kiss it. Sara pulled it back immediately and gave him a sour look.

 

“This lovely lady will kick your arse if you try that again.”

 

The man in blue held up his hands defensively. “Point taken.”

 

His friend stepped in between them. “Excuse my friend, ma’am. He has no cool when it comes to the ladies. I’m Booster Gold, hero extraordinaire, and this is my sidekick, Blue Beetle.”

 

“You can call me Ted, and I’m not his sidekick,” Ted said from over his shoulder.

 

Len gave them a less than impressed look before turning on his heel and heading back the way they’d come.

 

“Okay, Buster and Ted,” Sara motioned the two strangers to follow her, “come with us. Rip wants to see you.”

 

***

 

Sara and Len entered the bridge of the Waverider, Booster and Ted trailing behind them.

 

Rip looked over in their direction and visibly sighed. “Blue _and_ Gold? What are the odds. Please don’t blow anything up.”

 

“Rip! Buddy! Good to see you as always.” Booster went straight to the captain and wrapped him up in a bear hug. Rip remained straight as a rod throughout, not returning the gesture in the slightest.

 

As soon as Booster let go, Ted took his turn and went the extra mile of spinning him around and around in circles. “I missed you!”

 

Rip tottered only slightly when he was dropped back on solid ground. He took a hold of a nearby handrail and straightened to his full height, pretending as if he hadn’t just been whirled around like a small child. “Yes, well, everyone, this is Michael Carter and Ted Kord, otherwise known as Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

 

Booster and Ted immediately got the same sheepish grins on their faces. Ted started, “Booster and I were catching up and -”

 

“Ted can’t drive!” Booster butted in.

 

“Booster, you little! I can so drive! I piloted the Beetle for years and barely ever hit anything I didn’t mean to! Booster gives terrible directions!”

 

“Me!?”

 

“Yes, you! I have a heart condition! You could have killed me!”

 

“Oh, not that again! _Booooster, I’ve had a gazillion heart attacks! I’m so much more mature than you!_ Psh! You don’t have a heart condition!”

 

“You’re not my doctor!”

 

“Gentlemen!” Rip broke in, frustration apparent.

 

They both turned on him. “What!?”

 

 “Could you please tell us what happened? Just the facts, if you don’t mind.”

 

Booster and Ted looked at each other and then Booster started. “The five year anniversary was coming up,” Rip gave him a knowing look, “so I thought I’d catch up with old Ted here.”

 

“I was at the JLI office minding my own business when the balding Booster came running in—”

 

“I’m not balding,” came Booster’s voice, so automatic everyone listening could tell this was a long running argument.

 

“—and whisked me off in his time machine. So we had a drink in Salvation with Jonah (“he says hi by the way”), then another drink with Michelle in 1888 (“you know she never gets tired of watching them build the Eiffel Tower”), then we snuck onto Kooey-Kooey-Kooey (“I still think that was a brilliant idea”) and then it was on to—”

 

“I take it there were a fair few drinks involved,” Rip cut in.

 

“You’re not wrong about that.”

 

“Well, I think we can all surmise what chain of events led to you driving your Time Sphere into the side of my ship. Thank you, gentlemen. That was exactly what I needed to round out this day.”

 

“You know you can always count on us, Rip,” Booster said, slapping him on the back.

 

“Quite.”

 

With that mystery solved, Rip wandered back to the control panel to find out what needed to be done to get the Time Sphere back in working order and Booster and Ted out of his ship and back on their way.

 

***

 

Jax had been staring at Booster and Ted for several minutes, trying to be subtle about it but failing.

 

“What?” asked Booster.

 

“Nothing, man, just… Do they all wear stuff like that in the future? Superheroes, I mean.”

 

Booster pulled at his form fitting costume, regarding it closely for the first time, imagining he was from the past and seeing it for the first time. It was certainly different to what everyone on the ship was wearing, which could be accurately described as fight-ready casual. They must come from the early days of superheroing, before Superman had made these kind of outfits the uniform of the do-gooder.

 

“Yeah, pretty much. Mine isn’t even all that crazy. There’s a lot of capes, a lot of primary colours… There was a point where pouches were all the rage. That was kind of weird in hindsight.”

 

Ted took up the explanation. “And the ladies… Oh, the ladies… Power Girl, with all this going on.” He made circular motions around his chest area. “And Wonder Woman…” This name just elicited a sigh and a love-struck grin.

 

Jax screwed up his nose. “Forget I asked.”

 

***

 

“How do you know me?” asked Len with a healthy dose of suspicion in his voice, sidling up to Booster’s side once Jax had made a hasty retreat.

 

Booster just shrugged. “I went through the Flash museum a couple of times as a kid and they had some of your old costumes on display there,” he said, motioning to what Len was currently wearing. “Then we hung out a bunch on the Watch Tower when you were guarding…” Booster trailed off.

 

“Yes?” Len prompted.

 

“You know what? Never mind. I probably shouldn’t tell you that. You’ll find out eventually.”

 

Booster gave him a _conspiratory_ wink and a pat on the cheek then headed off towards where Ted was engaged in conversation with Sara.

 

If Len never met another time traveller for the rest of his life, he’d be a very happy man.

 

***

 

“So, who are you supposed to be?” Ted asked as he came up beside Sara.

 

She just cocked an eyebrow at him. “I’m the White Canary.”

 

He started flailing. “No way! You’re Laurel’s sister? I don’t think we ever met but your sister and I are great friends!” Ted’s brow furrowed as he seemed to be mulling over something in his head. “Or we will be? Looking at it from your perspective that is… This time travel stuff still does my head in. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I leave the working out of all that to Booster.”

 

“You’re friends with my sister?” Sara asked in disbelief.

 

“Besties,” he answered with a grin and two thumbs up.

 

Booster slung an arm around Ted’s neck from behind, catching him by surprise, and pulled him in for a nuggy. “Don’t bore the poor lady, Teddy.”

 

“Cut it out, Booster, or I’ll tell her all about _Gladys_.”

 

Booster let him go and backed up. “You wouldn’t.”

 

Ted grinned wickedly from behind his bulging yellow goggles. “I would.”

 

Rip passed by, hitting them upside the head. “Cut it out, both of you.”

 

They glared at his back until he was out of sight, Sara using the opportunity to try to back away out of the conversation and the room. As much as she’d like to hear about her sister in the future, there was only so much straight boy posturing she could take at one time.

 

She must have been out of practice with her sneaky League of Assassin exits though because Ted noticed her just as she reached the doorway.

 

He cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, “Booster’s a gold digger! He married an eighty year old!”

 

“Ted!” Booster wailed with the most betrayed look on his face that she had ever seen. “She was only 65!”

 

***

 

After Rip had ascertained that Booster and Ted were flying around without Skeets, Booster’s robot companion, he’d rooted around in his office and located some crumbling blueprints. Without Skeets to direct, Jax had the highest chance of figuring out what was wrong with the Time Sphere and how to fix it and as such he’d been dispatched to the cargo bay to give it his best shot.

 

The Waverider idled in the time stream while they waited to see how his attempt turned out. Len and Sara had returned to their card game and pulled Mick in besides. The rest occupied themselves as best they could.

 

Booster stared at Stein from across the room. With a tilt of his chin, he asked, “so, which part of the past are you from?”

 

“I beg your pardon?”

 

Ted chimed in, “do you have a Batman yet? What about a Green Lantern?”

 

“No?”

 

Booster took up the questioning, “Fire and Ice? The Dibneys? Captain Marvel?”

 

“Nope,” Ray supplied.

 

“Wonder Woman?” Ted asked with a goofy grin.

 

By this time, anyone not otherwise occupied had tuned into the conversation. They just shook their heads.

 

“Aw man. You’ve got so much fun to come.”

 

“But you know the Flash, right?” Mick and Len’s ears perked up at that.

 

“Most of us do,” Kendra answered.

 

“Jay, Barry, Wally or Bart?”

 

“That’s quite enough, Booster and Ted,” came Rip’s raised voice from his quarters. “They already know far too much about the future as it is.”

 

Booster turned to look at where Rip was tinkering. “So what _are_ you doing running around time with these guys, Rip?”

 

“We’ve just dealt with Vandal Savage and dismantled the Time Council, I’ll have you know. We were on our way back to 2016 when _someone_ drove their Time Sphere into us.”

 

“And I apologise for that.”

 

Rip turned back to his work and ignored the goings on in the bridge. Len kept an eye on him for a while, making sure he really wasn’t paying attention before he whispered across the room, “hey, Buster and Beetle! Get over here and play some cards with us. We’ll trade Flash info for alcohol.”

 

Booster and Ted shared a look heavy with wordless discussion. It took only a few seconds of silent conversing before they announced in unison, “deal!”

 

***

 

Jax came back into the bridge, wiping his hands off on a rag.

 

“I think I’ve got it fixed but we won’t know until you actually try to fly it.”

 

“Well, if we blow up you can have all my stuff, Rip,” joked Booster with a dazzling smile.

 

Rip cringed. “No, thank you. I know you didn’t get a dime in the divorce and I don’t want your porn collection.”

 

“It’s erotica!”

 

Rip cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

“It’s porn,” muttered Ted from his sprawl on the floor, a book laid over his face.

 

“Ted, you traitor! You’re supposed to be on my side.”

 

“I’ll take the porn,” offered Mick.

 

“And that, I think, is a good enough cue as any for you to leave.”

 

Rip helped pull Ted up off the floor as Booster made his goodbyes to the team for both of them. Being upright brought a bit of sobriety to Beetle and soon he was standing of his own volition.

 

Rip gave Booster a nod to let him know they were ready to go and then said to the team, “you may all stay here, and I’ll see Booster and Ted off myself.”

 

He made towards the cargo bay and Booster and Ted fell into step behind him as a chorus of goodbyes swelled up from the bridge. They continued in silence until they were outside hearing distance.

 

“So why isn’t Skeets with you?” asked Rip.

 

“I asked him to stay behind at the Time Lab and babysit Rani while you and I were out.”

 

“Ah, I see. I must say, you’ve got this whole idiot shtick down pat. I don’t know that it suits you though.”

 

Ted wrapped an arm around both their necks and pulled them in close. “Playing the buffoon isn’t such a stretch for old Booster here.”

 

“Thanks, Ted.” He pushed him away good-naturedly. “But it’s necessary if I want to keep being --” he struck a heroic pose “—Booster Gold! The greatest hero you’ve never heard of!”

 

Rip chuckled and Ted gave him a fond smile.

 

They reached the Time Sphere and Ted turned to give Rip a parting handshake.

 

“It’s always good to see you, Ted.”

 

“You too, Rip.”

 

Rip turned to Booster next. “See you soon, dad. I’m heading to 2025 after I drop my current crew off.”

 

Booster winced. “Then let me apologise in advance. I was young and dumb when you first recruited me. It seems like so long ago now. Go easy on me.”

 

“I can’t make any promises.”

 

Rip held out his hand to shake but Booster just grabbed it and hauled him in for another hug.

 

Soon Blue and Gold were seated in the Time Sphere ready to go.

 

Rip wondered how many years or months away Ted was from dying alone, his brains blown out by a former friend and colleague. Though he was yet to live through it, he knew beyond a doubt that 2025 Booster would try to save Ted as soon as he had access to time travel technology. And he was sure he’d find out the hard way that time wanted some events to happen regardless of what you did to change them. Destroying the oculus hadn’t changed that fundamental fact.

 

Rip knew that on bad days, Booster would go back to the times when he was carefree and happy and whisk Ted off to join him momentarily on his time travelling adventures. Rip supposed he deserved that much for all he’d sacrificed, even though other Time Masters would frown upon it. Similar to today, Rip would run across the pair of them in his travels from time to time. Booster would age between encounters – Rip had begun to notice the etching of wrinkles around his eyes and the dulling of his golden hair, becoming closer and closer to how he remembered him as a child – but Ted never did.

 

Rip would go visit his grave occasionally, whenever he was in the future and happened to be close to Illinois. No matter the time period, it was always immaculately looked after. Booster made sure of that.

 

He had recruited his team to fight Savage by preying on the same insecurities his own father had faced, those of trying one’s best to make a difference for humanity and being forgotten anyway. One of the first times he’d crossed paths with Booster as an adult, Booster had told him of the hardest decision he’d ever had to make, that of giving up his dreams of renown and Justice League membership to hide behind a mask of incompetence and narcissism. Rip had never realised as a child the true extent of what his father did. If anyone knew the very real difference he was making to the timeline, they’d find him as a child and remove him just as the Pilgrim had tried to do only recently to Rip and his team. Instead Booster Gold would be forgotten, or if remembered, only as a happy idiot who accomplished nothing.

 

It had hurt him to keep up the façade and say those things about his father to the members of his crew, but he knew it had been necessary. They all had their part to play in this little charade.

 

His heart ached for his poor father and the best friend he’d lost.

 

Booster and Beetle just beamed at him from their seats in the Time Sphere.

 

As if sensing his mood, Booster called out, “don’t look like such a sourpuss, Rip! Give us a smile.”

 

And then they were gone as a _bwa-ha-ha_ echoed around the cargo bay.

 


End file.
